


Awakening

by arcreactor



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bucky is just Too Hot in his Howling Commandos uniform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 08:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16615559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcreactor/pseuds/arcreactor
Summary: In which a recently de-aged Tony Stark makes a confession of sorts.





	Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of an ask I got on tumblr! 
> 
> Anon: ok but what about a deaged!tony (hit by a spell or something that makes him 16 again idk) avoiding bucky like the plague and bucky thinks it’s because tony’s scared of him or remembers more than he says he does but no. oh no. it just turns out that tony had his bisexual awakening via a picture of bucky on a howling commando poster and doesn’t know how to interact with his first crush At All. once returned to an adult tony is mortified but bucky thinks it’s adorable
> 
> Sorry for any mistakes/typos, I do all my writing exclusively on mobile with no beta on Google Docs, haha. Hell, I even posted this via mobile.

It's all Loki's fault. It's all that sly, spell-slinging bastard's fault. He's the entire reason why Tony's a couple of inches shorter and the entire reason why Tony's jaw is bare. Of course, Tony doesn't seem to remember that he was an acceptable 5'9" or that he rocked a Van Dyke, but he does seem to remember Bucky what with the way he froze upon seeing the man and scurried away.

He refuses to be alone in the same room with Bucky, and shies away from any sort of contact, sometimes even hopping over the dining table to avoid having to brush shoulders with him on the way to the kitchen.

"I don't think he likes me, Steve," he mumbles as he looks at the way that a teenaged Tony allows Thor to wrap an arm around him as they speak. "I'm thinkin' he remembers more than he's lettin' on." Does it make him feel a bit bad that Tony's pretty much chummy with everyone (bar the part where he blurted out, "You're supposed to be dead" at Steve) but refuses to so much as look at him? A bit, but he also understands that, if you're suddenly 16 and confronted with the guy that you know murdered your parents, you'd be hesitant too.

Steve simply shrugs as he pours himself some apple juice or grape juice or whatever the hell kind of juice he got out of the fridge today. "You could always just ask him."

Bucky snorts. "Oh, yeah, because cornering him and murder walking my way towards him while saying--" he puts on his best impression of Christian Bale's Batman-- "'do you remember?' is the best way to find out."

Steve gives him the stink eye. "I'll fuckin' ask, then." He continues to give Bucky the stink eye as he makes his way towards Tony and Thor. He leans in, whispering something to Tony that makes him briefly glance at Bucky with his eyes wide, cheeks turning a soft red before looking away.

(Jesus Christ, he hopes Steve isn't saying anything bad.)

There's a nod, mouths moving, and voices soft enough that even his enhanced hearing can't pick up on it. Thor grins at some point, and Tony says something that has Steve choking and coughing on his juice, which earns him a small glare.

Steve comes back, draining the rest of his juice. He places his empty cup next to Bucky, a highly amused look on his face. “He remembers something alright,” he says, “but it’s not like what you’re expecting. It’s really not what you’re expecting. He’s not scared of you, promise.”

Bucky stands there. “What do you mean?”

Steve shakes his head. “No, no, I can’t tell you. You have to ask him yourself.”

“How?”

Steve grins. Bucky has learned to be afraid of what that grin entails. “Thor!” Steve calls out. “Wanna spar in the gym?” He pointedly ignores the slightly betrayed look Bucky throws at him. Asshole could've at least put the cup in the sink.

“You will purchase many of those ‘gummy bears’ for me if I win, correct?” Thor jovially replies, not noticing the near breakdown that Tony’s having besides him.

“‘Course!”

“Then let us spar! Young man of iron, I will be seeing you later.” He claps Tony on the shoulder twice before sauntering off with Steve, leaving Bucky and Tony in the room together. Alone. They shift awkwardly, not wanting to be the first person to break the silence.

But Bucky supposes that they’d be here all night if neither of them spoke up. “Steve told me that you, um… remembered something?” he asks, nearly stumbling over his own feet as he took a few steps forward. He doesn’t attempt to get too close to Tony; there’d be no use in scaring him, especially since he doesn’t know exactly what it is that the other remembers.

“You made me realize I was into guys too,” Tony quickly says. Like ripping off a bandaid. Quick... and maybe a little painful.

Steve wasn’t lying. “What.”

Tony continues, eyes squeezed shut. “I-- there was an exhibit on you and the rest of the Howlies in the Smithsonian. Um, I’m not sure if it… if it’s still up during this time. I went. You, uh… looked really good in the uniform.”

Bucky wonders if it’s possible for all of the blood in someone’s body to go to their face because Tony honestly looks like one of those tomatoes that they pick up in the farmers’ market. “ _What_?”

“I realized I was bisexual when I saw you! You were so-- so _handsome_ and I just-- and now you’re standing here, and-- I don’t know.” Tony gestures wildly at Bucky and then squats close to the floor, both hands covering his flaming face. “I had-- _have_ a crush on you. Not sure if I still do when I’m older. But fuck, if I’m not gonna regret this,” he says, voice muffled.

Yeah, Steve really wasn’t lying. Tony had a crush on him when he was younger? Well, shit, that just added another layer of sadness on top of their already sad enough history. “Uh… I’m sorry?”

Tony laughs, startled. “You’re sorry?”

“That you had a crush on me.”

Tony separates his fingers, looking at Bucky through the little hole he made. “Have you seen yourself? Why would you be sorry?”

Bucky shrugs. “I’m not the best person to have a crush on.” _Oh, and I also brutally killed your mom and dad._

“Seems to be the trend in all of the guys I like,” Tony sighs. “You won’t… I mean, since you’re here, I’m assuming that we’re friends, but… you won’t, you know, hold this against me, right? When I’m older?”

“No, Tony, I won’t,” he promises softly. Tony sounds… scared, almost like he expects Bucky to hate him after this admission. It's heartbreaking, if he thinks about it. 

“Alright. Okay.” Tony gets up off the floor, brushing invisible dust off of the front of his pants. He smiles at Bucky, but his hands are ever so slightly trembling, probably because of adrenaline. "Alright, Bucky. Um... you want to watch something on the TV together?"

(“I really did that, huh,” Tony says, now freshly an adult after Loki’s spell wore off, sinking lower and lower into the couch cushions as Bucky laughs.

“It was kinda cute,” Bucky replies. “You were all red.”

Tony frowns. “No. It was embarrassing. I can’t believe I told you-- oh my god, I didn’t say anything to Steve about my Captain America pajamas, right?”

Bucky’s eyes light up like Christmas lights. “Your Captain America pajamas?”

“Barnes,” Tony panics, “Barnes, you are _not_ going to tell him about the pajamas I had when I was 9.”) 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come yell at me on tumblr @ hawkbucks!


End file.
